HC stays closure of Delhi bio-medical disposal plant

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Thursday stayed the immediate closure of a bio-medical waste treatment plant here that is allegedly impacting the health of a nearby colony's residents after the Delhi government sought more time to shift it.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw stayed the order of single judge passed on contempt plea filed by the residents of Sukhdev Vihar.

Thursday's court order came on the pleas of government and Synergy Waste Management Pvt Ltd, the company which established the bio-medical waste plant, which the court last year had ordered to be immediately closed down.

The bench also asked the residents to file its response by Feb 25 on the pleas, adding, "meanwhile, contempt case order shall remain stayed".

The court Dec 12 last year had ordered immediate closure of plant while hearing a contempt plea filed by the residents of Sukhdev Vihar who argued that Jan 15, 2013, a division bench had directed the government and the company to shift within six months the plant but the order was not complied with.

The company said the alternative site given by the Delhi government is not suitable and therefore the time limit for shifting it be extended till May 18, upto which the contract between it and government is valid.

It said the local commissioner in his report March 5, 2009, said the site was not suitable as there were 66 residential staff quarters, a MCD primary school with 400 children as well as a cooking gas pipeline near the proposed location.

The site is located within 2 km from Okhla Bird Sanctuary which has been declared a protected area.

The counsel for the residents of Sukhdev Vihar, however, objected to the pleas saying the plant is situated barely 30 metres from Sukhdev Vihar and other colonies thus violating a basic Central Pollution Control Board norm, and is a threat to the health and life to the 10 lakh people living around it.

"The bio-medical waste treatment plant is continuously polluting the environment and burning 12-15 tonnes of hazardous bio-medical waste per day which is injurious to the health and the life of the residents," the counsel added.

The plant treats and disposes bio-medical wastes collected from different hospitals and health care establishments.